Gareth A Davies has been a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph since 1993. He is Boxing and MMA Correspondent. Has been intrigued by fight and combat sports from a young age. Personal sporting passions are rugby, cricket, and martial arts. Also covers the Paralympic Games. Hates getting his hair cut. Follow on Twitter @GarethADaviesDT

UFC 'close to deal' for new UK television home

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are closing in on a new home, as UK President Marshall Zelaznik assures fans that UFC 100 will be televised live in Britain and that a deal could be tied up as early as Monday.

UFC fans had been concerned about the prospect of missing out on UFC 100 in light of Setanta Sports’ recent financial collapse. Setanta had, of course, played host to live UFC action since UFC 80 in January 2007.

However, the ever-increasing appeal of The Ultimate Fighting Championship has caused a flood of interest in the up-for-grabs organisation.

As it stands, no less than six major UK television networks have enquired about giving the UFC a home and UK President Zelaznik admits that he’s in a position to complete two of the deals today.
"We have two offers on the table that we could close on today, if we wanted to,” said Zelaznik.
“These offers are from top networks and both would be great homes for the UFC. We also have great interest from three other major networks and we expect offers to be made later this week.

“The UFC proved itself to be a huge hit with British sports fans during our time on Setanta, and everyone was delighted with how The Ultimate Fighter performed on Virgin 1. We are in a great position, and we will have everything decided in the coming days."

With interest high in the UFC right now, and with a television announcement expected next week, Zelaznik is bracing himself for an influx of late interest.

The added coup of UFC 100 (Saturday, July 11) – the biggest mixed martial arts event to date – only increases the demand for UFC on British screens. Despite the current situation, Zelaznik has assured British UFC fans that they’ll definitely be able to catch the world’s premier MMA event live in the UK on July 11.

Zelaznik said earlier this week: "I'd like to guarantee our loyal British and Irish fans that UFC 100 will be live on television over here. "You won't have to wait to see the biggest event in UFC history. UFC 100 will be live in the UK."

UFC 100 features the UFC heavyweight title clash between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, as well as the UFC welterweight clash between Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves. Perhaps most intriguing for UK fans, however, is the eagerly anticipated middleweight clash between England’s Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping and Dan Henderson.